/ˈdiːkɔɪ/
OriginFrom Dutch de + kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).
- A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
- A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
- Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.
“2002, Robotech: Battlecry – Guide and Walkthrough
Just every 5 seconds or so shoot out a decoy near the Cats Eye and the enemies will aim for that instead of the Cats Eye.”
- An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.
- transitiveTo lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap.
“to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net”
“E'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy, / The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy.”
- intransitiveTo act as, or use, a decoy.
“As they were being decoyed, the rescue team carried the hostage and quietly slipped away.”
Formsdecoys(plural) · decoys(present, singular, third-person) · decoying(participle, present) · decoyed(participle, past) · decoyed(past)